Sporting Kansas City center back Winston Reid made a massive impact on both ends of the pitch in Wednesday's 1-0 home win over Chicago Fire FC.
His reward? Three points in the Western Conference race and a spot on the MLS Team of the Week presented by Audi.
At the forefront, Reid provided the lone goal of the night by connecting with Johnny Russell's corner kick and steering a powerful header into the back of the net on 67 minutes. The New Zealand international's first MLS goal was all Sporting needed to come away with the victory, thanks in large part to a comprehensive backline performance by the hosts.
Anchoring the defense was none other than Reid, whose seven interceptions led all MLS players in Week 16. The defender became just the third Sporting player since the dawn of the MLS Opta era in 2010 to score a goal and record seven interceptions in a regular season match.
An even further dive into Reid's game log on Wednesday illustrates just how influential his backline presence was throughout the night. During the Opta era, he is the second MLS player to amass the following stat line: one game-winning goal, seven interceptions, four clearances, three duels won, three recoveries and 25 successful passes in a shutout victory. The first to do so was Vancouver's Kendall Waston in a 1-0 win over Colorado on Oct. 25, 2014.
Reid has started in each of Sporting's last two outings, including a 2-1 defeat of the Houston Dynamo last Saturday. Manager Peter Vermes' men will look to keep the momentum rolling on Sunday when expansion side Nashville SC makes its inaugural visit to Children's Mercy Park at 6:30 p.m. CT. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT with tickets available at SeatGeek.com and live coverage on FOX Sports Kansas City, FOX Sports Midwest, FOX Sports GO, ESPN 94.5 FM and La Grande 1340 AM.
